Taxi Cab

Oh sorry, I meant to post this as a comment, not a reply, but I don't know how to delete my previous reply. Here it is as a comment, sorry to clog up the page.

First of all, this song had a very Belle and Sebastian vibe to it, to my ear.

I thought this song analyzed a past relationship through a class lens. The lyrics are fantastic and multi-layered. Here are some things I was able to parse (or at least try).

You were standing this close to me Like the future was supposed to be In the aisles of the grocery And the blocks up-town

They would shop for groceries together at one of the groceries up near Columbia. West Side Market, perhaps? Grocery shopping is something you do with someone you’re quite serious about. They were in love and committed. And in the markets by Columbia, you can’t help but stand close to the person you’re shopping with — the aisles are very narrow! It felt right to be together. But can this relationship survive the post-college shifts that are to come?

Compound to compound Lazy and safe Wanting to leave it Wanting to wait

Yes, it sounds like she’s going to some jail or military compound. But what about a family compound like the Kennedy compound? Is VW saying these family compounds can have prison-like in their hold on people? Is this the same girl as in Cape Code Kwassa Kwassa? The girl wants to break out of this stifling environment, but at the same time, it’s very comfortable. Similar to the ambivalence found on “Run.”

When the taxi doors opened wide I pretended I was horrified by the uniformed clothes outside and the courtyard gate

They went by taxi to her family’s place. The image of uniformed people by a courtyard reminds me of an English country manor, but I think it’s more literally her family’s fancy apartment building in Manhattan. He’s not really horrified, but he pretends he is because he’s bohemian and opposed to the trappings of wealth. Now older he can gently mock this point of view. Also reminded me of the Dan/Serena relationship on Gossip Girl.

You're not a victim But neither am I Nostalgic for garbage Desperate for time

The narrator’s accepting his role in the break-up. He’s conscious of his tendency to romanticize poverty and how that put distance between them. Now he is older and understands that this girl can’t help who her parents are.

I could blame it on your mother's hair Or the colors that your father wears But I know that I was never fair You were always fine

“Your mother’s hair” made me think of the ultra-perfect coifs of ladies on the Upper East Side, like Bergdorf Blondes perhaps. And the father’s colors could be the colors of his prep tie or the navy jackets he wears to signify his membership in the upper class. Here the narrator is blaming himself for the relationship's end. A kind of “it wasn’t you it was me” post mortem.

You were standing on another track Like a real aristocrat

I LOVE this line. So many layers and sung in such a wistful tone. Here are a few possible interpretations:

1) She was on the other track, going in another direction. They are just on different paths so the relationship had to end. 2) She’s on the other track resonates with the “wrong side of the tracks.” She’s on the fancy side, he’s on the other. 3) This line made me think of the oddly affecting scene in Metropolitan when Tom Townsend, the debutante and her military escort say good-bye to Nick Smith at Penn Station. Nick Smith was a member of the “untitled aristocracy,” like the girl in this song. I’m willing to bet that Ezra has seen this movie.

Not sure what is meant by “your first attack,” whether it was some kind of mental breakdown, a verbal attack on him or something else.

Very beautiful, intriguing song.